The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-03-26

| up To the time he speaks OF the agreement
to commence examining books. McDougsll
came stayed half m hour. explained our
manner of looking up the accounts in full
lie wanted n copy of our statement. We
agreed he should, but don't think il was
promised at any time before the report. IL
would have been foolish thing for US TO do
to work six months to get him up state
ment Of the defective accounts and bad
book Keeping of his client, all the client 3
fault II was absurd to claim that the county
should go to the expense Of making state
ment OF Stocksleger's own books for his
benefit, and it is just as foolish for Stock
sleger's attorney to come here and make this
claim. This report should be adopted as TO
each of the officers who are short, for every
dollar illegally held by every officer and
deputy. They will have ample time to ex-
anime the reports; they will be pup,ished,
Gum gave an instance where Stocksleger
collected SD for letters testauentary and
charged himself with 81 While McDougall
was there about $40 was found short. Then
McDougall said, he guessed the work might
AS we'll go on. lie couldn't stay. 1t has
been known all along that we intended or
were expected to report at this term also
il was publicly stated that We should report
at the March term
Green: IL made the copies McDougall re.
quested and handed them to him at his room
on Monday evening, and he thrust them
back abruptly"
Mclaughlin wanted to make subject the
special order of tomorrow morning
Fisher moved 5000 copies be printed, and
action deferred on report.
Mayo wanted to speak for Nlilligan: The
language Of the report is cOuched in the
most unseemy terms. 1t is filled up with
the spite and malignity Of the gentleman
who maze it. II is a saaxim that every man
shot have trial before being condemned. 1t
is n report which he has not had an oppOrtu.
nifty to see. The board should act in a manly
way. They should pause long before they
spread broadcast through the county re
port casting such foul reflections upon Mr..
MIllgan. Doyou desire TO do this to blacken
mans character without giving him o
hearing?
Mclaughlin wanted the tabulated state
ment printed lie thought he could &C,
more iutelligently with the figures before US.
We are not u jury to hear both sides. Don't
see what's the use of the lawyers coming
here anyway? (Laughter)
Norton: II don I feel that it is worth
while to resent the language used towards
me by the attorneys. have heard it be
fore Some use il gratuitously, others do
1t because they are paid for it. have 40
malice in this affair. l have expressed myself
in every one Of these reports in language
miller than | should have done. Every one
of these officers first swore TO DO his duty
when he went into office; swore he had when
he went out, and now see the result: Milligan
has had ev ry opportunity to examine these
books, his books, and did do it; took them
home with him, and when we found that leaves
had been and were being taken out Of them,
we then put stop to it-called halt.
could have painted all these things blacker.
lie gave instances from the report Of Mill
gan charging twice for the same item; one
a 81 800 item, which he finally acknowledged
he had received. but did not know it. No
wonder they can have attorneys and sub
sidize newspapers to traduce men who are
trying to do their duty. They have had all
to know any every day in the
week, and every item, If they had seen fit,
as we went along No one has called to look
through with US these records. 1t was no
part of our duty to hunt these men up from
time to time, when we found they had stolen
any money, to ask them what they had done
with it? The bOndsmen of some of them
have come in. They have asked for expla-
nations which we, Of course, could not give
them, because we knew not. | shall not
insist that this report shall be published in
any mannor till it is the property OF the
board We have done our whole duty as we
understand it. We are willing to explain
anything to these men that we know, and to
show any item or means Of knowledge to
them. The only question is, is our work sat-
isfactory? He denied that the committee
acted from malice. He thought Mayo had
gone too far in his statement. The truth of
the report will be tested by the books here,
after elsewhere"
Fisher: II think Mayo is previous in tax.
ing us for jury. | can't see where the
saving comes in in not printing this report.
The report is the work of a committee OF the
board. They have made the investigation
in response TO demand of the taxpayers of
the county. They want to know what the
committee have done? What they have found
out? If there is anything wrong in it the
committee are responsible for it,
Fades thought this is only putting off the
question. This same thing came up at last
session Then it was objected to against the
publishing charges against StOcksleger, who
was absent, but was on the way coming back
to meet them. The facts, as found by the
committee, ought to come before the people.
Griffin thought sufficient number of
copies should be printed for the benefit of
Il but 81 Lone IT